An apparatus and system for recording, playing, handling, and storing a plurality of media disks in a plurality of configurations and a device for moving any disk into and out of a media disk storage mechanism and into or out of a selected media player/recorder on demand, and a controller for directing operation of the device for moving the disks and controlling selection of operation of the media disk storage mechanism.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system comprising: a first media-disk-receptacle unit operable to receive a media disk; a second media-disk-receptacle unit operable to receive the media disk; and a disk-manipulator mechanism operable to transport the media disk from the first media-disk-receptacle unit to the second media-disk-receptacle unit, the disk-manipulator mechanism comprising: a first arm pivotably connected to a pivot point at a proximal end of the first arm; a second arm pivotably connected to a pivot point at a proximal end of the second arm; a first wrist section pivotably connected to a distal end of the first arm, the first wrist section having a mounting wheel coupled thereto; a second wrist section pivotably connected to a distal end of the second arm, the second wrist section having a mounting wheel coupled thereto; and wherein the first-wrist-section mounting wheel and the second-wrist-section mounting wheel interoperably secure the media disk via pressure exerted in a direction defining a chord across the media disk.
2. The system of claim 1 , comprising a sensor coupled to the disk-manipulator mechanism, the sensor operable to detect proper positioning of the media disk within the disk-manipulator mechanism.
3. The system of claim 2 , comprising: a gantry mechanism coupled to the disk-manipulator mechanism and operable to move the disk-manipulator mechanism along at least one axis; and a computer electrically connected to the disk-manipulator mechanism and the gantry mechanism.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the computer is operably coupled to a motor associated with at least one of the disk-manipulator mechanism and the gantry mechanism, and via monitoring of operational characteristics of the motor, determines a position of the disk-manipulator mechanism.
5. The system of claim 3 , wherein, responsive to signals provided by the sensor, the computer provides commands to the gantry mechanism and the disk-manipulator mechanism to transport the disk from the first media-disk receptacle unit to the second media-disk receptacle unit.
6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the computer runs monitor-and-control software operable to cause the system to record and play the media disk responsive to processing of user or system instructions.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the monitor-and-control software is operable to provide high-speed cache-searchable cataloging and meta-data labeling of the media disk.
8. The system of claim 3 , comprising a plurality of hard drives coupled to the computer and operable to provide buffer storage.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the disk-manipulator mechanism comprises: a motor; and a drive belt operatively connecting the motor to the mounting wheels.
10. The system of claim 9 , comprising at least one pulley disposed between the first-wrist-section mounting wheel and the second-wrist-section mounting wheel and the motor and operably connected to the first-wrist-section mounting wheel and the second-wrist-section mounting wheel and the motor by the drive belt.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first-wrist-section mounting wheel and the second-wrist-section mounting wheel each comprise: a top guiding chamfer; a tapered throat; and a high-traction gripping surface disposed within the tapered throat.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the tapered throat allows for variation in a thickness of the media disk while not allowing the media disk to contact a bottom of the tapered throat.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the top guiding chamfer and the tapered throat are fixed relative to one another.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second wrist sections each have a second mounting wheel coupled thereto, the second mounting wheels each comprising a lower disk-leveling reverse chamfer.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the media disk is secured within the disk-manipulator mechanism via pressure exerted solely on an outer rim edge of the media disk.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first-wrist-section mounting wheel and the second-wrist-section mounting wheel maintain continuous contact with an outer rim edge of the media disk during transport of the media disk from the first media-disk receptacle unit to the second media-disk receptacle unit.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first-arm pivot point and the second-arm pivot point are the same pivot point.
18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first wrist section is connected to a top surface of the first arm.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second wrist section is connected to a top surface of the second arm.
20. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a removable-drawer mechanism having at least one attachment point operable to secure at least one of the first and second media-disk-receptacle units.
21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the removable-drawer mechanism comprises a connection to a computer.
22. The system of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first media-disk receptacle unit and the second media-disk-receptacle unit comprises a memory device in continuous communication, via the connection, with the computer.
23. The system of claim 20 , wherein at least one of the first media-disk receptacle unit and the second media-disk-receptacle unit is hot-swappable.
24. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one media-disk-receptacle unit of the first media-disk-receptacle unit and the second media-disk-receptacle unit is a removable magazine containing a plurality of media disks.
25. The system of claim 24 , wherein each media disk of the plurality of media disks is vertically stacked, within the removable magazine, in a horizontal configuration.
26. The system of claim 24 , wherein the removable magazine comprises an inner portion, the inner portion comprising a media-disk separation mechanism.
27. The system of claim 26 , wherein the media-disk separation mechanism comprises a plurality of shelves.
28. The system of claim 27 , wherein each shelf of the plurality of shelves comprises a chamfered-surface portion operable to enable successful placement of the media disk into a space bounded by the shelf via contact, by the disk-manipulator mechanism or the shelf, solely with an outer rim edge of the media disk.
29. The system of claim 24 , wherein the removable magazine comprises a media-disk retention device.
30. The system of claim 29 , wherein the media-disk retention device is operable to move to an open position responsive to interaction with a portion of a gantry mechanism.
31. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one media-disk-receptacle unit of the first media-disk-receptacle unit and the second media-disk-receptacle unit is a media disk read/write unit operable to receive the media disk via a slot-loading configuration.
32. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one media-disk-receptacle unit of the first media-disk-receptacle unit and the second media-disk-receptacle unit is a media disk read/write unit is operable to receive the media disk via a drawer-loading configuration.
33. The system of claim 1 , wherein: the first media-disk-receptacle unit is a removable magazine and the second media-disk-receptacle unit is a media disk read/write unit; and recording of the media disk by the media disk read/write unit occurs simultaneously with updating a file index associated with the removable magazine.
34. The system of claim 33 , wherein the file index comprises a memory device disposed on the removable magazine.
35. The system of claim 34 , wherein the memory device is in communication with and is continuously updated by a computer.
36. The system of claim 33 , wherein the file index comprises content information relative to the removable magazine.
37. The system of claim 36 , wherein the content information comprises at least one the following types of information: meta-data, key words, images, video frames, and abstracts.
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December 16, 2005
March 2, 2010
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